country: Meaning and Definition of

coun•try

Pronunciation: (kun'trē), [key]
— n., pl. adj. -tries,
—n.
  1. a state or nation: What European countries have you visited?
  2. the territory of a nation.
  3. the people of a district, state, or nation: The whole country backed the president in his decision.
  4. the land of one's birth or citizenship.
  5. rural districts, including farmland, parkland, and other sparsely populated areas, as opposed to cities or towns: Many city dwellers like to spend their vacations in the country.
  6. any considerable territory demarcated by topographical conditions, by a distinctive population, etc.: mountainous country; the Amish country of Pennsylvania.
  7. a tract of land considered apart from any geographical or political limits; region; district.
  8. the public.
  9. the public at large, as represented by a jury.
  10. See
  11. to dissolve a Parliament that has cast a majority vote disagreeing with the prime minister and cabinet and to call for the election of a new House of Commons.
  12. to present one's cause formally before a jury.
—adj.
  1. of, from, or characteristic of the country; rural: a winding country road.
  2. of, pertaining to, or associated with country music: That Nashville station plays country records all day long.
  3. rude; unpolished; rustic: country manners.
  4. of, from, or pertaining to a particular country.
  5. of one's own country.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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